“THE MAN WHO BECAME PREGNANT”

“THE MAN WHO BECAME PREGNANT”

Long Long back there was a Hollywood movie by name “Junior” in which the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger became pregnant. It started as an experiment on pregnant woman but since law deffer them to human   proving they couldn’t find one, therefore to prove their point; they fertilized an egg and a sperm in vitro and planted into the peritoneum [Abdomen] of the actor. The experiment was on short term basis, but the actor got under the influence of maternal hormones so much that he refused to get his pregnancy terminated, though under the risk of getting his peritoneum busted.

The whole movie revolve around depicting the pregnant man having all the physical symptoms that women have during pregnancy whether it be morning  sickness, increase in weight, frequent bathrooms breaks, mood swings, increased appetite and the babies kicks, etc,etc, For nine months.

Finally, in the end of the movie he does deliver a baby boy. The movie is hilarious and good to watch. Well, this is fiction. Does it happen in real life? Can the law of nature get reversed, male reproducing baby?

THE  TRIMESTERS  OF  PREGNANCY

A female patient of mine, one fine day, came to me with news that she is pregnant, and was running in her first trimester (first three months). The couple have been trying since a long time and finally God heard them, preparing to send them bundle of joy. She came to me complaining of morning sickness.

“Doc, I can’t stop vomiting my gut off”. Well it’s a usual thing in pregnancy. After taking the case, I prescribed her some medicine and she went away, only to return three days later. I was surprised, the medicine I gave never ever fails to work.

Well, after an initial inquiry, this time it was not her with vomiting troubling her but her husband was also suffering from same symptoms as her, Morning sickness, loss of appetite, increase vomiting. Okay, I said, took the case prescribed them and asked them to see me next week. I suspected food poisoning or stomach bug and I medicated him accordingly.

Next week, when they came to see me, the lady was perfectly fine, rowing delightfully her first trimester but the man look horrified. He must have lost two kilogram of weight in past seven days. His eyes were sunken and skin wrinkled. His vomiting has not stopped.

I was confused, what went wrong. I again took the case and again prescribed accordingly but this time for 4 days and asked him to see me thereafter. He followed the instruction, only to return more shrivelled.

What is wrong with me? I thought to be more particular about his condition, I wrote him few investigations two days later the reports came and they were crystal clean, yet no diagnosis.

He was distressed and I was confused. Half heartedly I prescribed him another medicine. Three visits and three prescriptions changed, not my style. He didn’t return for 15 days thereafter I thought maybe he got rid of his ailment but in hearts of hearts, I knew may be the things were not sunny as my mind wants me to believe. We doctors get that feeling if we are not sure about the prescription. [Well, it’s doctor’s thing. Our day also gets screwed up when our patient don’t return to us, smiling].

Fifteen days later, my worst fear came true. I was right it was not sunny. He went away to try allopathic treatment, but his nightmare continued. Our brethren allopaths were also so confused that they couldn’t stop man’s vomiting. They lost their patience early and wrote him an endoscopy, but the things became worse as soon as those camera stuck fibres were put into his mouth, he started to gag and wretch so indefinitely that ultimately the technician called off the day and asked him to come next morning.

It was too much for him to take and he returned to me, God, he had turned into a skeleton. Once such a robust man, now in complete misery but still intact charms as he joked, “I would die of this vomiting and you see, how embarrassing it seems for my army background family to tell that a man died in their family because of vomiting. You cured my wife, she didn’t vomit after that. It seems as if, instead of my wife, I am pregnant.”

As soon as he said the last couple of words, there rang a bell in my head and my pupils constricted. “What did you say, Sir?”

“It feels as if I am pregnant”. He said with an annoyance.

“Yes! You are”.

“What?” the annoyance increased. My eyes shined and I was not actually hearing him, the heavy cloud that was hovering over me, that I couldn’t help him, started to shead away and it became sunny again. This time with all the regained enthusiasm I prescribed him and confident enough that this will work. He trusted me though bewildered, took the medicine, only to return after two days.

COUVADE  SYNDROME      

I was surprised to see him back so early. My heart started to pound again. I asked him. “Well Doc! Your’s medicine work like a magic portion on me instantly stopping my vomiting. It went in and for last two days nothing is coming out from a wrong route. But,” there was still a “but”, I thought.

 He shrunked his eyebrows and said “I haven’t slept for two days; I want to clear things with you. See, with vomiting I could live throughout my life but with the news that I am pregnant.....”  He choked and couple of seconds reignited saying, “Am I seriously pregnant and therefore the medicine you gave me worked. You looked pretty serious last time on my joke”.

I was stunned first and then I laughed so hard, tears came out from corners of my eyes.

I didn’t want to increase the poor man’s misery, therefore I explained him that he was suffering from Couvade’s Syndrome or good Daddy Syndrone.

Couvade’s Syndrome, a common complaint of expectant dad’s upto 65% worldwide who share some symptoms of pregnancy with their partner. Researchers have found in such father there is 20% rise in their level of prolactin, the nurturing and lactation hormone. At same time their level of stress hormonal cortical doubles, increasing their sensitivity and alertness hence they start to suffer.

Testosterone (male hormone) suppresses maternal behaviour. In fathers who have Couvade’s Syndrome have high level of prolactin which decreases their testosterone level, hence improve their parental skills. Generally fathers are slower than mothers to respond to babies whimper but these man with transient lower testosterone with Couvade’s Syndrome hear babies cries better then moms.

MORAL

“To be a good Daddy, you should get high on female  hormones”.